Half Blinded Influence
by Getemono
Summary: For a split second, Fujin thought that he had somehow made it out of Timber alive, escaped from his cell and had come to rescue her.  But then he smiled at her, and she knew that that wasn't the case.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII and make no profit from writing this.

Prologue

The silver-haired girl made her way swiftly and silently through the lush terrain, her footfalls as soft and fleeting as a gazelle's. Blood caked her chakram in slick goops, making it hard to hold onto, but she didn't stop to clean it. Though she would never admit it, she was afraid to stop moving. Her breath came out fast and shallow, out of sync with her frantically beating heart.

At twelve Fujin was small and bony, but her physique did nothing to hinder her skill. Most Grats she snuck up on were dead before they even knew what hit them.

The forest-like environment of the Training Center had never seemed that scary during class; she must have gone in dozens of times. But now, alone in the bleakly lit setting, it seemed so much more evil. Every patch of darkness was a monster lurking in the shadows. Any unanticipated noise was a possible threat to her life. But she had to get stronger, so she would not turn back.

A loud scream pierced the air not too far from where she was and she nearly faltered to a stop. Not hesitating to be cautious, she turned and ran towards the source, half-hopeful that it was a strong SeeD she could accompany, half-worried that the person was dead.

Two boys around her age -one tan, one pale- were face to face with a T-Rexaur. It was a young T-Rexaur about half the size of an adult, but a T-Rexaur nonetheless. Its beady yellow eyes glittered with bloodlust, and ropes of saliva dripped from its mouth. The tan boy shook where he stood, his staff even trembling in his grip. The lanky blond looked more sure of himself, but the gunblade in his hand was held awkwardly with inexperience.

"Would you get a grip, Raijin?" he barked, green eyes never leaving their opponent. The tanned boy gulped and managed to steady himself, although he still looked scared witless. Knowing it would have been wiser to run away from the T-Rexaur, Fujin jumped in beside the blond and had to duck one of his fast but poorly aimed attacks.

"HELPING." she growled at him. He looked taken aback for a second, but a ferocious roar from the T-Rexaur snapped his attention back to battle.

"Fine, just don't get in the way." he snapped. Fujin's mouth tightened, but she didn't respond.

It was a long and restless battle. It didn't help that none of the young cadets had potions or any sort of magic to aide them. They fought valiantly, and there were a few times that Fujin actually thought the beast would fall and not get back up. Unfortunately for them, it too was a determined fighter.

Fujin prepared to fling her weapon at it, but the sudden movement had caught the monster's eye, and it lunged forward to meet her. Her heart jumped to her throat and she froze up, waiting for the angry red beast to end her. In a furious attack unusual for its kind, it dug one of its razor sharp claws into the side of her face, ruining her left eye in the process. It quickly drew its claw back, and Fujin screamed as it pulled out scraps of her eye along with it. After that, the pain was all she was aware of. She closed her eye against the disorienting vision of red and fell to the floor clutching at her wound, childishly wishing that the pressure of her hand would take the pain away.

"Are you okay?" the blonde shouted at her. It was hard to hear him, as if he was far away instead of close enough to hold on to. She bowed her head, and if she didn't have so much pride she would have curled up and cried in the agony of it all. The blood was flooding through the gaps in her fingers, sliding down her arm, slowly spreading on the dirt beneath her. Stains blossomed like roses along her shirt.

"We gotta get out of here!" Raijin yelled, and Fujin heard the whisper of his weapon meeting hard flesh.

"Shit." the blond boy picked her up and threw her over his shoulder before she could protest, dropping both of their weapons in the process.

"IDIOT." she spat through grit teeth, but he just kept running, Raijin following close behind.

"We'll get you to the infirmary, ya know?" he said shakily, unable to look her in the face. He looked several shades paler than when she first saw him, like he was about to vomit. The blurred and shaking trees faded and dotted out of her vision, and she wondered how badly she was hurt and how much she had bled. Her head pounded against the slender but already defined back of the blond carrying her. The world was crashing down on her, and it was only a matter of time before she broke under the pressure. She acknowledged death, but hoped for the best.

"You kids should be more careful, it could have been a lot worse than this." The stern voice belonged to Dr. Kadowaki, Fujin could hear the woman scolding her allies from her small room. The doctor had done the best she could, but Fujin's eye was permanently damaged, and she would have to wear an eye patch after the bandages came off. Though her head still smarted, Fujin didn't mind the handicap. The eye patch, along with her primal way of speaking, would help to maintain the tough image she had worked so hard to create for herself, and less people would be likely to approach or otherwise try to irritate her. It wasn't as though she had been pretty before the accident, anyways.

"Okay, we get it, we _get_ it." the blond boy, Seifer, she had learned his name was, retorted. "Can we please go in and see her?" he added impatiently. Fujin's mouth fell open. They wanted to see her?

There was a very pregnant pause, and Fujin counted five whole seconds before Kadowaki bothered to answer. "I'll see if she wants to see you." That was a safe answer. Fujin was somewhat of a regular at the infirmary, thanks to the fights she kept getting into, and Kadowaki knew her well enough to know that Fujin didn't like most people.

"The boys who brought you in want to see you." Kadowaki poked her head in to announce. Fujin hesitated, the usual "no" not spilling from her lips. She didn't like talking to people; most people were shallow and irritating. But for some reason those boys seemed different, separate from society due to their refusal to conform to it. Like herself. She simply nodded, and if Kadowaki was surprised at the answer she hid it well.

Seifer took the only seat while Raijin stood a little behind him. If it hadn't been obvious before, it was obvious now who the leader was in that friendship. Fujin looked at him, waiting for him to say something, but he just stared at her carefully, as if he could gain some insight into her soul if he looked hard enough. None of them broke the silence for a long time, and she was mildly impressed that none of them fidgeted or looked away.

"That was pretty cool what you did back there." Seifer finally commented. Fujin raised her visible eyebrow. "Not getting hurt, helping us out." he didn't blurt it out like an awkward excuse, he merely explained it to her. Raijin nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, we would have been dead meat if you didn't come along. You kick ass, ya know?" he added sheepishly. Fujin nodded back to them. She didn't know what to say. She wondered how long it would be until they became unnerved by her silence and decided to leave. Quiet fell between them again, weighing the air with thoughts left unsaid.

"You don't like talking much, do you?" Seifer asked when he was sure she wouldn't say anything. He was persistent, Fujin would give him that much credit. She nodded again. "That's fine, 'cause Raijin talks too much."

"Do not!" Raijin protested.

"All right, that's enough. You two need to leave so Fujin can get some rest." Kadowaki came in to inform them. Fujin took one last look at them, all the while reminding herself that people lied, that this was the first and only time they would ever associate with her.

"Okay, get some rest Fujin." And then Seifer did something no one had ever done to her before.

He patted her knee on his way out.

The breath caught in her chest, but neither boy had heard it. Raijin waved before following Seifer, and Kadowaki turned off the light and closed the door. Fujin sat awake in the darkness, heart still hammering from the unfamiliar contact. It had been a long time since a hand had reached out to her with the intention of kindness instead of pain.

She couldn't help but think, as she laid back in her pillow, that she wouldn't mind a casual touch like that every once in a while, especially if it was Seifer doing the touching. Raijin seemed tolerable as well. Despite logic telling her that there was a fat chance of them talking to her, she found herself longing for their presence. She bit her lip and sighed.

_People don't like you. They'll only disappoint and betray you. They'll leave you. _The words twisted around in her mind, repeating themselves over and over like a malicious lullaby.

However, they did come back, early the next morning while Fujin ate her breakfast. Kadowaki grudgingly let them in again, and Seifer led the way, proudly displaying her chakram.

"We went back for it as soon as we left your room." he said with a wide grin.

"And cleaned and polished it, ya know." Raijin added. Seifer placed it next to her, and for a moment she just watched it gleam in the early morning sunlight. Both boys smiled at her, their simple innocence catching her off guard.

"Why?" she asked, forgetting to add that edge to her voice. Had they really done all of this out of guilt?

"Because you had our back." Seifer explained. "Now we've got yours."

End Prologue

**A/N: This idea has been buzzing around in my head for about two days now. Might not seem like anything big, but usually my ideas go away after a minute or two, so this was kind of a big deal to me. I'm still looking up the FFVIII script so I can be as accurate as possible, so it might take a while for me to update. Couples are still questionable at this point. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, especially this early.**


	2. Left Behind

Disclaimer: Still don't own FFVIII. Or make any money from writing fanfics.

Chapter One: Left Behind

The day after the SeeD field exam was calm and quiet, the hallways vacant save for the Disciplinary Squad making their usual rounds. Classes were in session, and only those with a serious death wish would dare to so much as breathe the wrong way the day after Seifer Almasy had failed a SeeD exam.

Fujin and Raijin included.

"I mean, it might not bother me so much if Puberty Boy and Chicken Wuss didn't pass, either." Seifer explained for the umpteenth time that morning. "They disobeyed orders, too, and I know that Squall wanted to cause trouble just as badly as I did, but _no_, they chalked it up to them being good soldiers and following the captain's orders." He spat over the railing and into the water flowing around the school. "Well if all they can do is take orders without thinking, I worry about the future of this rundown school."

"Did you find Rinoa?" Raijin asked, undoubtedly hoping at least something had gone right for Seifer.

"What do you think? I couldn't get in!" Seifer snapped. "Stupid Trepe caught me before I could sneak in."

Very softly, Fujin let out the breath she'd been holding. They had met Rinoa the summer before, when they'd been stationed in Deling for a SeeD field exam. Personally, Fujin couldn't see anything fantastic about the girl, but Raijin and Seifer treated her as if she were a celebrity. In the end it was Seifer who had won her affections, and he would run off with her for the entirety of their breaks and come back starry-eyed and talking about helping her to escape from her horrible father to Timber, where she could do some good in the world.

It was the longest SeeD Field Exam in nearly a decade, and Fujin cursed every single day of it. Spanning an entire week due to a tricky monster infestation, the young cadets had been stationed right across from the General Caraway's mansion, making it only too easy for the raven-haired girl to stop by and socialize. Right off the bat Fujin didn't like her for disturbing the natural chemistry the three friends shared, but the dislike grew into loathing when Seifer began to ignore her.

She had thought that it was all over when they finally boarded the train that would take them home, but Rinoa had come running up to the platform, dramatically waving a small paper in her hand. Seifer had stopped, smiled down at her and taken her address and phone number along with a kiss.

Seifer had excitedly told them of his plans with Rinoa the whole ride back, while Raijin congratulated him on a job well done and Fujin did her best not to mope. To add insult to injury, none of them had passed the exam as they were spotted talking on the job on numerous occasions. Fujin had never said a word to Rinoa, but she guessed that didn't matter.

Seifer still kept in touch with Rinoa through weekly letters. All letters that came in from her were scented with her perfume and inquisitive about SeeD. Seifer assured her that he would someday personally meet her and help her cause, but she must not have believed him, because the day came when she finally asked about prices and a possible discount. His pride had been hurt, but he'd given her the information she needed and promised he'd meet her at the SeeD Ball.

They finished off their inspection of the library and made their way up to the office to report the few petty crimes they'd come across. When they entered, Quistis was putting the last of her possessions into a cardboard box, and she looked down to avoid their gaze. Seifer wasn't about to let her down so easily.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen." Seifer commented, a grin spreading on his face. Quistis closed her eyes and took a deep breath, obviously going to great lengths to control her reaction.

"I could say the same to you, except you've never had a perch to fall from, have you Seifer?" she replied coldly.

"Was it possibly for hitting on students?" Seifer ignored her response, and Raijin snickered, only stopping when Quistis directed a pointed glare at him. It was common knowledge among the Disciplinary Squad that their instructor was infatuated with Squall Leonhart. They had figured it out when they realized she was would praise him more often than others, not to mention the fact that she was always close to livid when Seifer fought with him. She ignored him, but Fujin noticed a muscle flex on her jaw.

"Where's your little pube-muffin, _Instructor_?" Seifer taunted, eyes shifting around as if Squall would jump out from behind a potted plant. "I could use a little sparring right about now."

"For your information he's on his first mission." Quistis snapped, her icy blue eyes locking onto Seifer. "In Timber, along with the rest of your squad that actually passed-"

"What?" Seifer cut her off. Fujin and Raijin exchanged a glance, and Quistis knew she was treading in dangerous waters.

"He's in Timber." she repeated slowly, regarding him carefully. "Why?"

"Who else went?" Seifer demanded, his eyes suddenly fierce.

"Selphie and Zell-"

"I heard that, who else?" Seifer was close to yelling.

"That's it. That's all that was sent." Quistis replied curtly.

"What? They might end up fightin' the whole Galbadian Force!" Seifer roared. "And all they dispatch are three rookie SeeD members?"

"Seifer, you better calm down right now." Quistis growled, sliding her box onto the counter and taking out her whip. Fujin's hand twitched towards her chakram.

"What's going on in here?" Xu walked through the door, her fingers adorned with brass knuckles.

"Dammit, I'm going to Timber! Fu, Rai, cover me!" Seifer ordered, knocking Quistis and Xu out of his way and bolting down the hall. Before he was even out of sight, Fujin and Raijin had their weapons drawn and ready. Quistis and Xu stared at them incredulously.

"This isn't a game, you two. If you attack you'll be in serious trouble." Neither Fujin or Raijin wavered, and the older women were forced to put their weapons to use.

Fujin dodged the snap of Quistis' whip, not intending to hurt her former instructor, just distract her long enough to give Seifer time. She and Raijin did a decent job of holding off the SeeDs, but soon the women became vicious with urgency, and it was all the Squad members could do to defend themselves.

"I've got this, Quistis, go after him!" Xu yelled, casting a fire spell on Raijin. Quistis hurried down, casting a haste to try to make up for lost time. Fujin's chakram just missed Quistis' hand, and Xu glared before firing a sleep spell at her.

_Please be safe Seifer. _She thought before falling to the ground.

Hours later...

"Attacking two SeeDs, one of them an instructor." Headmaster Cid shook his head, but Fujin and Raijin simply stared straight ahead, neither of them ashamed of what they'd done. After all, they were the ones who'd had to visit the infirmary.

"Why did you do it? Was it simply because Seifer told you to?"

"AFFIRMITIVE." Fujin answered immediately, and Cid sighed.

"Seifer may have been the Squad Leader, but his authority does not overpower that of SeeDs, you know that." he looked directly into Fujin's eye, and she knew he was remembering earlier days, before she met Seifer. Days when she had no friends but followed most rules, when she was a quick learner and hard worker who got good grades and passed exams on the first try. She didn't feel guilty, she'd done the right thing.

"May have been?" Raijin repeated. "So Seifer's not in charge anymore?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Cid told them, leaning back into his chair. "As for punishment-"

"Headmaster Cid, you need to see this, it's Seifer!" It was Nida, the new SeeD that burst through the door. Before anything could be said, Nida crossed the room and placed his portable computer on the desk. Fujin and Raijin crept behind Cid to watch, and Xu was too distracted to tell them not to.

"…For the last time, stay back! You're only going to provoke him!" Quistis could be seen on the tiny screen, ordering the Galbadian guards that threatened Seifer. Raijin's mouth fell open and Fujin gasped. The whole room was silent.

"Timber Team, are you still watching? Get over here right now! You HAVE permission! I need your help!" she practically screamed. The former instructor was usually known for her cool attitude, but now she looked scared, no better than a nervous cadet.

"Are they gonna help her?" Nida asked nervously. It took a few minutes, but finally Squall, Zell and Selphie appeared on screen. Zell and Selphie glanced around uncertainly while Squall stared cautiously at the sight before him. _Some SeeDs._ Fujin thought, rolling her eye.

"We need to restrain him!" Quistis ordered, obviously distraught by the situation.

"What do you think you're doing?" Squall asked, looking like he'd rather be anywhere than on camera at the moment. Fujin shook her head, he couldn't follow a simple order, he didn't deserve to be a leader. Seifer rolled his eyes.

"It's obvious ain't it? What are you planning to do with this guy?" Seifer asked impatiently, shaking the President as he spoke.

"…planning to do?" Squall repeated numbly. Raijin snorted, also displeased with Squall's uselessness.

"Just do something, ya know!" Raijin muttered, but Xu and Fujin elbowed him. A look of understanding crossed Zell's face.

"I get it! You're Rinoa's-"

"Shut your damn mouth! Chicken Wuss!" Seifer cursed. Though the screen was tiny and the lighting was bad, Fujin could see the sweat glistening on Seifer's brow. How was he going to make it out of this situation?

"He broke out of the disciplinary room, injuring many in the process." It almost seemed like Quistis was speaking just for the sake of speaking. Fujin wondered how many Seifer had barreled past on his way out.

"YOU STUPID IDIOT!" Zell yelled. He had always talked too much and thought too little…

"Be quiet." Squall hissed. Fujin counted that as the first smart sentence he'd said.

"Instructor, I know! You're going to take this stupid idiot back to Garden, right?" Xu inhaled sharply and Cid put his hand to his forehead.

"Shut up! NO!" Squall yelled. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't have been that stupid. She looked over at Raijin, who was slowly shaking his head and staring at the screen in disbelief. On screen, the President smirked as he stared at the SeeDs' shocked faces.

"I see…so you're all from Garden. Should anything happen to me, the entire Galbadian Military will undoubtedly crush Garden." he turned to face Seifer smugly. "You can let go of me, now."

"Nice going, Chicken Wuss! You and your stupid big mouth!" Seifer spat. Zell's eyes were wide open and he was frozen stiff as if he couldn't believe he'd messed up so bad. Fujin clenched her fist. If anything happened to Seifer because of him, she would make him pay.

"Take care of this mess, Instructor and Mr. Leader." Seifer shot, backing out of the room with the President. Quistis followed carefully, and after she was out of the camera's view, the rest of the SeeDs followed. They watched the camera for a few more minutes before someone in Timber had the sense to shut it off. The office became eerily quiet.

"We have to go after Seifer ya know!" Raijin decided, and Fujin nodded. Xu glared at them.

"Don't be stupid! He's probably already-"

"They'll be headed towards Galbadia Garden." Cid murmured under his breath.

"What?" Xu asked, tearing her gaze away from Fujin and Raijin.

"Article Eight, Line Seven. They'll be headed towards Galbadia." Cid explained in a detached voice. He turned to Fujin and Raijin. "If they all managed to make it out alive, that's where Seifer will be." Fujin stared at him. Was he actually going to let them go?

"But, Headmaster-"

The phone rang just then, and Cid glanced at the number before picking it up. He listened and answered "yes" once, then frowned as he hung up.

"It would appear as if I have to ask a favor of you." Cid told them. "A Garden Faculty Member will be waiting with a letter to the Galbadian Headmaster, please give it to him." he looked between the two and waited for them to nod. When they did, he dismissed them.

"You're too kind, sir." Xu mumbled as Fujin and Raijin bolted out of the room.

Fujin felt sick as she ran down the hallway, her mind tumbling with Seifer's possible fates. She shook them off and didn't even stop in front of the Faculty Member, Raijin had to collect the message. She didn't know how, but she was going to help Seifer when she got there, or die trying.

_I should have gone with him. We could have knocked past them, all made it to Timber to help._ Fujin cursed her own inability to stand up to the older women, wishing she was stronger. The bright sun hanging overhead mocked her dire situation, it seemed so wrong that she and Raijin were running scared on such a perfect day. _I've gone soft…_

When they boarded the train, Raijin simply sat at the window seat and stared out of the train, for once not having anything to say. Fujin sat next to him and stared at her hands for the whole ride, not letting herself think of anymore "what ifs".

_If he's dead I'll kill the President._ Fujin thought murderously. _I'll put up another broadcast and kill him right in front of everyone, and I'll beat the shit out of Zell for causing this…_No one would harm Seifer without answering to her. Her mind continued to dangerously twist down paths Fujin hadn't been aware of until now, and it didn't completely stop when the train did.

"Let's go, we can rent a car." Raijin said, picking up on the fact that Fujin wasn't thinking clearly. She simply followed him and got into the car when he opened the door for her.

She needed to see Seifer. He had to be okay. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't okay…

"We'll deliver the message first, and I'll ask if Seifer's around, ya know?" Raijin said nervously. Fujin nodded numbly and followed him once again.

"Who are you?" An stern-looking man sized them up before they could ascend the first staircase. Raijin saluted, but Fujin was too out of it to imitate him. The guard relaxed a little, but looked at Fujin suspiciously.

"We're from Balamb-" (here, the guard let out a heavy sigh) "-and we have something to deliver to the Headmaster, ya know?" Raijin explained, holding up the envelope as proof. The man scowled as he turned away from them.

"Follow me." he said curtly, marching up the staircase. Fujin and Raijin followed him, both wishing he would walk a little faster.

"Headmaster Martine!" the man called after pounding on the door. "Messengers from Balamb have arrived!"

"Very well, let them in." A voice called from the other side. The man opened the door and stood aside to let them pass through first.

Martine looked like a war-hardened soldier-turned-politician; his face was heavily lined, his still-blond hair slicked back and his clothes perfectly pressed. He regarded them with experienced eyes, his gaze lingering on Fujin's eye patch before he bothered to speak. This time, Fujin remembered to salute when Raijin did.

"Proof of your affiliation with Garden?" he asked impatiently. Raijin withdrew the envelope he had been about to hand him, digging through his pocket for his wallet. Fujin fished hers out before Raijin did, but they presented them simultaneously. A corner of the headmaster's mouth tugged downwards as he held out his hand for the message.

Not wasting anymore time, he tore it open and read through it, his face not betraying anything contained in the letter. He carefully folded it and slipped it back into the envelope when he was done.

"It will be carried out. You are dismissed." he told them.

"Uh, Headmaster?" Raijin asked uncertainly. Martine only stared at him, and Raijin took that as a cue to go on. "We were wondering if any of the SeeDs from the Timber incident came in yet."

"You're not here to socialize, soldier." Martine said. Raijin nodded to him and they both saluted one more time before leaving.

"Well that was helpful." Raijin muttered as they walked out of the room. Fujin wasn't about to say anything, but a streak of black and white caught her eye on the floor below them.

"LEONHART." she informed Raijin, pointing. The teen was running as if his life depended on it, his teammates nowhere in sight.

"Yo! Squall!" Raijin leaned over the balcony to call him before he could get away. Squall stopped as if he'd been hit by lightning, confused for a second until he saw Fujin and Raijin heading towards him.

There was something scared in his eyes, Fujin noted. He looked almost as messed up as she felt, although he tried to compose himself as they approached him. He even looked a little embarrassed, as if he'd just done something extremely humiliating.

"What are you doing here?" he muttered, eyes going to his feet.

"What am I doin'?" Raijin asked, squinting down at Squall. "I'm a messenger, ya know? Brought you a new order from Headmaster Cid, ya know?" Squall furrowed his brow when he heard that, obviously not liking the sound of that.

"What kind of order?"

"I don't know. I gave it to the head honcho here. Just did what Headmaster Cid wanted, ya know? Kinda relieved to see you guys here." Raijin rambled. Fujin couldn't believe he hadn't brought up the most important thing.

"SEIFER?" she asked roughly, just barely keeping the pleading note from her tone. Squall's eyes softened, as if he were in another place, but Raijin didn't notice.

"Oh yeah! Wasn't Seifer with you?" How was Raijin staying so casual about the whole thing? Was it because he was talking to Squall?

"I believe Seifer may be dead…" Squall said quietly, his blue eyes flickering between the two friends before dropping back to the floor. "I heard he was tried in Galbadia and executed…"

"LIES!" Fujin barked, yelling to stop the horrible feeling that consumed her. Her roar echoed down the hall, and a few students looked back at them. She bit down on her lip to keep from showing anything other than shock. Raijin made an awkward noise as he stared at Squall, his fist clenching.

"That's gotta be a lie, ya know! There's no way he'd put up with a trial, ya know! Or an execution for that matter! It's just not Seifer, ya know!" Raijin yelled almost hysterically, his voice shaking just a little.

"FIND!" Fujin yelled, not able to stand the blank look in Squall's eyes.

"O' what…!" Raijin stared at her as if he couldn't understand her for a second. "We're going to meet up with Seifer?" she nodded at him impatiently. "Well, see ya Squall, we're gonna head off to Galbadia to look for Seifer." Without another word to Squall, they took off in the opposite direction, leaving Squall staring after them.

Seconds later, the intercom demanded Squall and his group to meet at the main gate. Fujin and Raijin ran for the back entrance, not wanting to see anyone else from that miserable team.

_Seifer's not dead. Those idiots don't know what they're talking about. Seifer can't be dead!_ Fujin didn't know how she kept going, only that somehow, her body still worked. She bumped into a man with a cowboy hat, but didn't stop or apologize, even when he yelled something back at her.

"It's gonna be a long journey, finding Seifer, ya know?" Raijin glanced sideways at his companion, and if she had been paying attention, she might have noticed that he was quieter than usual.

"FIND HIM. HAVE TO." she said, and this time she couldn't keep the desperation completely out of her voice.

"Yeah, don't worry, he's out there." he replied, no real conviction in his voice. "It's gonna be dangerous, too, ya know…"

_Everything will be fine once we find Seifer. Even if we have to flee the country, live the rest of our lives as fugitives, it won't matter, as long as Seifer's there…_

"Fujin?" Raijin asked, and she didn't look up to see the sorrow in his eyes. Instead she internally cursed, ready to snap if he made one more complaint about finding Seifer.

"WHAT?" she growled. He was on her blind side, and she didn't waste the time required to fully look at him.

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Before she could even process what that meant, something heavy hit her on the back of her head, and her vision faded to black.

End Chapter

**A/N: I really hope this didn't come off as character bashing, I was just trying to get into Fujin's head, and I figured she'd be pretty hard on everyone. I wanted to keep this as accurate as possible, but already I've had to alter a few scenes from the game. Well, please review, let me know what you think whether it be good or bad.**


	3. Lost in a Crowd

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII.

Note: I guess I'm using 'AAA' as breaks, fanfiction doesn't seem to want to let me use symbols...

Chapter Two: Lost in a Crowd

Irvine was late for his meeting with Headmaster Martine. Originally Irvine was supposed to meet him in his office, but a harassed looking cadet had interrupted his flirting session with a student librarian to inform him that he was to meet at the front gates, ready to go immediately.

That didn't necessarily mean that Irvine had stopped flirting. On the contrary, the cowboy had just shrugged and waved the cadet off before smoothly wrapping up the conversation at his leisure, then walking coolly away after letting her know that he had other obligations. Seconds later he could be seen rushing to check his ammunition as he hurried towards the front gate.

He was fumbling with his ammo when someone knocked into him, causing all of his bullets to go flying, clanking and bouncing as they skittered on the stone floor. He cursed and looked up to see the backs of a large tan boy and a petite silver-haired girl.

"Thanks a lot!" he hollered, but neither turned to acknowledge him. "Great." he muttered, crouching down to recover his bullets. There were a lot of them, and they kept slipping and sliding through his fingers as he scrambled to scoop them up. The bell signaling the start of afternoon classes rang, and he hurried to retrieve the last of his bullets. He was debating on jogging so he wouldn't be _that_ late when a painful sounding _CRACK_ resonated through the empty hallway. He whipped around just in time to see the tanned boy catch the girl and gently prop her against the wall. For a few seconds he only watched as the boy placed something next to her and made sure she wouldn't slip.

"Hey!" Irvine called out. This time the boy looked up at him, but only for a few seconds before running away. "Hey!" Irvine called again, running after him. _A haste sure would have been useful right now…_he thought. He slowed when he reached the girl, not sure if he should pursue the boy or check on the her. He sighed and knelt down, noting the Phoenix Down left next to her hand.

_She must be with that Balamb group the intercom mentioned. But then why was she running away?_ Very quickly, Irvine went through his options. He could turn her in to the faculty, but nowadays it just wasn't safe to trust the staff, and he wasn't morally capable of doing that to a girl. He could always revive her, but there might have been a really bad reason that she was running away from her group, and another reason for her ally to betray her. Without another thought, he stored the Phoenix Down in his pocket and picked her up.

"You are so lucky that I'm not punctual." he told her.

About ten minutes later, Irvine casually strolled out of the front gates of Galbadia Garden. He waved jovially in spite of Martine's prominent frown.

"You're late, Kinneas." he scolded.

"I didn't hear about the change until I was already waiting in your office, sir." Irvine answered respectfully. Martine grunted before turning to who must have been the leader of the group, a boy wearing too much black leather.

"As I was saying earlier, this is Irvine Kinneas, he will be your sharpshooter. Understood?" he waited for Squall to nod before curtly adding: "Leave whenever you're ready, and remember, failure is not an option." that said he walked back into the car, not so much as glancing back at the rest of them. Irvine knew the boy standing before him, recognized him (as well as most of the others) from earlier days, but he could tell by the way they stared at him that they didn't remember him.

"Irvine Kinneas." he repeated, waiting to hear their names. They introduced themselves one by one, but before Squall could start talking, Irvine held up a hand.

"Sorry to stall the mission, but I just need to know, do you guys have a one-eyed, silver-haired girl on your team?" Rinoa's eyes widened while Squall's brow furrowed. Irvine had guessed that there weren't many girls with that description.

"She's not on our squad, she was supposed to leave with Raijin." Squall told him.

"She's not in trouble or anything like that?"

"No." Squall replied, looking uncomfortable.

"Oh. I better go let her out of my room, then." Irvine said, a scandalous smile playing at his mouth as he turned back towards the school.

"Wait, what?" Zell yelled. "What's Fujin doing in your room?"

"Kinneas," Squall called, and Irvine glanced back at his new leader. "Why didn't she go with Raijin?"

"The big guy with the stick?" Squall nodded. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure he cracked her a good one on the back of the head, though."

"Raijin wouldn't do that." Rinoa muttered. Squall's brow was furrowed again, it was obvious that he was mulling something over.

"So, what are we going to do about Fujin?" Quistis asked. Squall shook his head.

"It's Fujin's choice. She's not a part of this mission."

"What _is_ our mission, anyways." Selphie asked, tilting her head to a side.

"It's…a direct order from both Balamb and Galbadia Garden." Squall answered, scanning the orders from Martine one more time. "We're supposed to assassinate the sorceress from afar. Kinneas will be our sharpshooter, we support him and if it fails we attack head on." he glanced around to make sure everyone understood, but even Quistis seemed a little uneasy.

"You know, it might not be so bad to have Fujin around." Zell said meekly.

"She has proven to be exceptionally strong." Quistis recalled. "And skilled in battle. Her grades were better than Zell's, too." she added, and the fighter glared at her.

"She's not a SeeD." Squall argued. Something unnerving stirred in the pit of Squall's stomach. He didn't want to work with someone who had been so close to Seifer, not after what had just happened. It made him feel wrong, somehow.

"I'm not a SeeD." Rinoa pointed out.

"This isn't your mission, either." Squall told her. She pouted, but before she could say anything, Squall spoke up. "Besides, will she be emotionally right for this?" he asked, remembering how she had outright rejected the thought of Seifer being dead. He wasn't even sure if he himself was one hundred percent well for the mission. The group was quiet for a few moments.

"Well, look at it this way," Zell finally said. "I couldn't stand Seifer, but I still think it was wrong. Fujin actually _liked_ the guy, I think she'll want revenge, too."

Squall sighed. "Whatever." he would just let them see how Fujin was doing for themselves. Then they'd be singing a different tune. "Everyone else wait here." They must have mistaken his passiveness for surrender, because they exchanged smiles as he walked up with Irvine.

AAA

_She remembered very clearly, the day Seifer had told her his dream. It was three weeks before their failed SeeD test, and Raijin was in bed with a low fever. It was also the only time the infamous trio had been downsized to a duo, and though Fujin loved Seifer's company, she was nervous without Raijin to kill the silence that Seifer so detested. It was late, and they were sitting in the empty quad, polishing their weapons. It was raining outside, hard enough for them to hear it pattering on Garden's thick walls. Seifer, bothered by the quiet and the rain, spoke up._

"_I'm so sick of this!" he had exclaimed, throwing down his rag and glaring at his gunblade. Fujin calmly looked up, ignoring the thundering heart in her chest. She looked at him inquisitively, and his green eyes glanced at her before returning to the shine of his weapon._

"_They give us weapons and tell us to fight for good, that we're going to do good in the world, but who the hell are we saving?"_ _A corner of Fujin's mouth turned down. She didn't understand, and she had let him know in her own straightforward way._

"_Look around, Fujin! Nobody needs a Knight in shining armor, they're just sugar coating the fact that we're expendable killers!"_ _His chest heaved and his then-unblemished brow creased, he was still obviously upset. Fujin never recalled anyone referring to SeeDs as knights, but she guessed that Seifer had long ago linked the two together._

"_Well I'm sick of it. After I become a SeeD, I'm gonna to take it to the next level. I'm going to quit this miserable school and be a _real_ hero, one that has something noble to fight for, a princess that needs to be saved." he decided, glaring at the ground. Fujin only nodded to show that she understood, but a million things were passing through the girl's mind._

_ Seifer was strong and smart enough, but he wasn't thinking practically. Fujin knew her friend well enough to know that he was only seeing himself -accompanied by Fujin and Raijin, of course- riding off to the sunset to accomplish heroic deeds, slay monsters and save princesses. He wasn't thinking of the money he'd need to save up, the connections he'd need to acquire. But Fujin was._

_ No good knight could ever make it alone. A good knight always had a good squire by his side, someone to take care of the little details so he wouldn't have to. Fujin knew in that moment that she would take on the responsibility, she would be his squire. She would do anything to help her knight reach his goal._

_AAA  
_

Something cold flowed over Fujin, and she shuddered, as the memory fled from her mind's eye.

"Fujin," a voice commanded. "Fujin, you need to wake up."

Almost immediately her eye snapped open and rolled to lock on Squall. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head.

"RAIJIN. WHERE?" she demanded, scowling up at the two boys. Irvine's face fell into confusion, and Squall's face hardened. That was when Fujin remembered that they didn't speak her language, and both of her translators were gone.

"Raijin's gone, we don't know where he went. Irvine reports that he assaulted you before he left, is that true?"

Fujin closed her eye, remembering her last few moments with Raijin. He had been complaining about finding Seifer, but then he'd…she opened her eye again.

He'd abandoned her.

And left her in the care of Squall Leonhart.

She mentally cursed and swore to herself that she would murder Raijin for his betrayal. Where would he head to? Probably try Timber, she could still catch up if she left immediately.

"Fujin?" Squall asked impatiently. She swung her legs over the bed and stood.

"MOVE." she ordered, glaring up at him.

"You have two options," he continued as if she hadn't talked. "You can either go back to Balamb Garden or come with us on a mission in Deling."

She was about to shove Squall out of the way when a thought occurred to her. Seifer had threatened the President, and his last name had been Deling. If she remembered her politics correctly, Deling was supposed to have been the descendant of the city's founder, and lived in the capital.

And if she could take out the President, that was one less thing for Seifer to worry about, if he was still alive. And if he wasn't alive…then it was all the more reason for Deling to die.

"DELING." she replied, roughly stepping away from Squall. Squall was surprised. He'd been expecting her to try something rash, or at the very least refuse to go back without Seifer. Her sudden change in heart worried him. _I don't trust her…_

He nodded, and they walked back down to the rest of the group.

"It's good to see you again, Fujin." Rinoa offered sweetly, but Fujin didn't reply in any way. She had never said a word to Rinoa, and she wanted to keep it that way. In fact, thinking on it, she decided she'd prefer to not say a word to any of them unless it was absolutely necessary.

"So, you're joining us?" Selphie asked. Fujin only recognized her as the rather hyper girl who had passed the SeeD exams, so she was a little puzzled as to why the smaller girl was so happy to see her. She simply nodded in response.

"Great. Well, we need to divide into teams, right?" Irvine asked, pure mischief in his eyes. Not waiting for a response, he walked between Selphie and Rinoa and put an arm around each of them. "How's this?" Quistis raised her eyebrow, obviously disapproving, but she waited for Squall's opinion. He rolled his eyes.

"Have a good time…" Squall muttered, most likely trying to avoid conflict. Fujin glanced to see who that left her with. She inwardly sighed when she looked at Quistis, then Zell, then finally Squall. It wasn't the best group, but it could have been worse, she realized, glancing at the other team.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Selphie looked up and squinted into Squall's face, searching his eyes for something. "You are, aren't you!" She accused, pointing a finger at him. He stared at her in open confusion. "Well fine then! We _will_ have a good time!" she concluded, sticking out her tongue.

"Yes, we will have a good time." Rinoa added in a tone Fujin knew only too well. She used to use it when Seifer upset her about something or another. It was the tone she used when she was going along with something when she clearly didn't want to go along with. It was cold and condescending yet absolutely childish. Then, very boldly, she grabbed Irvine's arm, hugging it close to her as her face set into an expression that was almost a sneer.

Fire boiled up in Fujin's soul. Seifer may or may not have died for her honor, and there she was acting petty because Squall didn't care about her. It hadn't even been a whole day and already she had moved on.

She forced back the tears that stung at her eye, taking a slow, deep breath to keep them at bay. Seifer deserved so much better than that, he deserved to be mourned and missed, not forsaken like yesterday's newspaper. She wanted to kick Rinoa harder than she'd ever kicked Raijin, wanted her to pay for her cold-heartedness. But if she did anything rash now, her chance to avenge Seifer would be lost, and right now that was more important. Her hand curled into a fist so tight it hurt.

"Come on, Mr. Kinneas, let's go!" Rinoa exclaimed happily. Fujin's chest felt hollow, and every spoken word seemed out of place, the mirth so terrible in the midst of her pain.

Irvine and Selphie said something, but Fujin wasn't listening anymore. She just wanted them to be gone. Before they walked off, Rinoa caught Fujin's eye, and she paled slightly when Fujin's lip curled back. Fujin hoped whatever the raven-haired girl was feeling -whether it was guilt or fear- would be enough to kill her. When they were far enough away she glanced at Squall, who looked completely lost as he stared after the group that had just departed.

_I thought I could at least count on Squall to not get caught up on hormones. _ She was about to recall Seifer's nickname for him, but it hurt too much, and she forced herself not to. _Can't count on anyone but my posse…_she took another slow breath, her anger still there but manageable now that Rinoa was gone. She tried to focus on the present.

"I think I feel sick." Quistis said, wrinkling her nose.

"Irvine Kinneas…" Zell mumbled under his breath. "What a loser."

"Come on, Squall, let's go." Quistis said, taking Squall's arm in her own. A light red blush covered Squall's cheeks, and he froze up. _Too bad she didn't do this when the brat was still here._ Fujin thought.

Zell was about to say something, but he took notice of Fujin's state and stopped. She glared at him, and he was quick to look away.

"Let's move." Squall ordered, finally shaking his arm free from Quistis. Quistis stared after him for a few seconds longer than she should have, a shadow of depression detectable on her face.

Fujin waited until everyone else walked a few steps before following, making it very clear that she didn't want to talk. That suited Squall just fine, and Quistis was left with the task of entertaining Zell.

It was just one night, Fujin reassured herself. Just one night of putting up with Squall and the rest of the SeeDs, then she would get her revenge and find Seifer.

End Chapter

**A/N: Sorry, tried to make this chapter longer, but it just wouldn't go…I wasn't making up that "Rinoa-Irvine" situation, either, it happens in the game if you let Irvine pick the team (of course, the dialogue got tweaked to flow with my writing). Anyways, please review.**


	4. Burden

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII.

Chapter Three: Burden

"You're kidding right?"

Squall shook his head at Selphie's outburst, and the small girl immediately clamped a hand over her mouth. They had finally managed to make it to Deling city, which should have been classified as a mission on its own; between Irvine's flirting and Fujin's moping, it was a miracle everyone had made it out alive. Not to mention it was hard enough trying to be taken seriously as a bunch of teenagers without Selphie's big mouth at work. The guard in front of Caraway's mansion didn't seem impressed by her level of professionalism, either.

"No, I'm afraid not. You'll need to retrieve a password from The Tomb of the Unknown King to get in. The general wants to be sure that you're all strong enough." he repeated in a condescending tone. Zell's mouth fell open.

"But we were ordered to-"

"Zell," Squall cut him off, impatient. Zell's cheeks flushed but he turned around, pacing not too far from the rest of the group. "I guess we'll be back later."

They headed to the edge of the town, Squall thinking about groups the whole time. He wouldn't need everyone with him, that would just be sloppy. He would only take two with him, and he carefully thought of his peers, how everyone interacted, their strengths and weaknesses.

_Someone needs to watch Fujin._ he realized, almost sighing out loud. True, she hadn't caused any trouble just yet, but her obedient behavior was suspicious; Squall knew she was plotting something. If her outburst about Seifer hadn't been any indication, the downright hateful looks she directed at Rinoa were. Those two definitely couldn't be on the same team. _Come to think of it, Rinoa needs to be watched, too._

It could be a good opportunity to see how strong Fujin was. He hadn't seen her fight since they were pre-teens, and it would be wise to gauge her ability. Not to mention, he didn't know how Irvine took orders, or how good he was in battle. On the other hand, Rinoa flirting with whoever was left behind -even if it was only Zell- didn't sit well with him, and she was, after all, _his_ client and therefore his responsibility. _I should probably leave Fujin with people that she doesn't already hate, anyways. I'm pretty sure I'm not one of her favorites…_Turning to his comrades, he announced: "Rinoa and Zell will come with me. The rest of you, wait here." Irvine seemed thrilled at the thought of being left behind with only girls, and Rinoa was absolutely ecstatic that she'd been chosen. She immediately skipped to Squall's side and smiled. Quistis gave him a pointed look, not happy being left behind to baby-sit. Fujin stared solemnly ahead, already much better at hiding her internal rage. She took another soothing breath and just counted herself lucky that the three she detested most were leaving.

Rinoa could go ahead and try to replace Seifer with Squall; she'd only be disappointed, sooner rather than later. She glared into the distance even after she couldn't see the other group, and only stopped when Irvine spoke up.

"So, ladies, what shall we do?" he asked, a corner of his mouth raising at the end of his question.

"Ooh, let's take a tour of the town!" Selphie suggested, green eyes locking on an oncoming bus.

"I guess it would be wise to know our surroundings." Quistis said, glancing at Fujin. "What do you think?" Not about to break her vow of silence so soon, Fujin merely shrugged. She didn't like the thought of being stuck sitting next to any of them while they jabbered on about the town, but she didn't have a good reason to say no. Besides, she had to behave for the time being. She wanted to board the bus last, but Quistis was behind her, undoubtedly making sure she didn't try to pull a fast one. Fujin made sure her ex-instructor saw her eye roll as she stepped up.

"Wow, a real city," Selphie breathed as she stared, hands pressed against the window. Irvine sat next to her, paying more attention to Selphie's figure than to the scenery. Fujin and Quistis slid onto the seat in front of them.

"Don't travel much, do ya?" Irvine asked. Selphie shook her head.

"Just made it as a SeeD, and before that I pretty much only knew Trabia." she explained. "And I thought Balamb was big…" Irvine chuckled.

"It is a nice city," Quistis commented, leaning forward so she could see past Fujin. Fujin was taking in every detail of the city, noting the alleyways and smaller roads in specific. She would have to be able to get away fast, later that night.

"Try to relax," Quistis surprised her by whispering. "It won't do any good to dwell on it now." Fujin nodded once without looking at her, slightly irritated by Quistis' advice.

Selphie and Irvine continued their flirting and sight-seeing, with Quistis adding in a sentence every now and then. It made Fujin seem even more out of place, sitting with a group of friends that weren't hers. But what bothered Fujin the most was how they all seemed to have completely forgotten about Seifer. It was disgusting.

"You ladies want to get something to eat?" Irvine asked, noting that they were pulling up towards a café.

"That actually sounds pretty good." Quistis nodded.

"I'm starved!" Selphie exclaimed, and Irvine stood, grinning from ear to ear. They filed out of the bus and to the café. Fujin headed for the bathroom, and was mildly surprised when no one followed.

She stood by the sink and ran the water, staring into the drain. If she, Raijin and Seifer had been out and about on the town, she would have insisted that they save their money and eat at the school. Heck, even if they did eat out, Fujin herself never purchased anything or allowed any of her friends to buy anything for her. She never told them, but she was saving up money for the special time when Seifer decided to live his dream. She couldn't keep it in a bank, as she didn't know where the adventure would lead them, and she never left it in her room for distrust of her roommate, so there, in her backpack, was roughly eight thousand gil. She didn't want to start spending it, not after saving for such a long time, but she couldn't assassinate the president on an empty stomach.

She ordered the cheapest meal on the menu and opted to sit by herself at a table a good ten feet away from her party. Quistis glanced at her warily, but when Fujin raised an eyebrow she turned back to her conversation. Shortly after that, Irvine tried to motion her over and Selphie practically bounced in her seat as she called, but Fujin ignored both of them. She let out a slow and heavy sigh when Selphie stood and approached, undaunted by Irvine reaching for her arm and Quistis' startled look.

"Hey Fujin," she chirped, taking the seat across from her. Fujin kept her eye on her plate, methodically scooping the rice into her mouth. She estimated that Selphie would last about two minutes, five at most. It remained quiet for almost five minutes, which surprised Fujin; she didn't think Selphie had it in her to be so silent.

"Want some?" Fujin glanced up to see Selphie pushing a half-eaten slice of chocolate cake her way. "I didn't bite off of that part, I cut it with the knife, just in case you weren't into the germ-sharing." she rambled. "It's really good." she added.

Fujin was about to give her a pretty mean glare, but she stopped to consider her situation. If she accepted Selphie's peace offering, she might gain a little more trust, which would be very useful if the parties remained the same. The only down side was that they might think she had accepted them, but Fujin could tolerate that for a day. She reached out and took the cake, and Selphie absolutely beamed. It made Fujin feel guilty in a very slimy way, even after she reminded herself that she was doing it for Seifer.

_She doesn't even like you anyways. She's probably doing it on a dare._ Fujin assured herself, finishing off the last of the cake.

"Hey ladies," Irvine called, and both looked to him. Quistis was just snapping her cell phone shut. "That was Squall, they're heading back so we should go to Caraway's." Selphie nodded vigorously and stood.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed, running after Irvine and Quistis. Fujin wiped her mouth on a napkin before tossing it along with the rest of her trash. It was going to be an interesting day.

Almost half an hour later, Fujin, Irvine, Selphie and Quistis were waiting outside of Caraway's mansion. Irvine was leaning against one of the gate's pillars (much to the guard's irritation), watching as Selphie paced in front of the entrance like a caged lion.

"There they are!" Selphie said, jumping in mid-step and pointing up the road. Fujin thought she heard Quistis mutter: "Thank god."

Squall, Rinoa and Zell looked a little worn, and Fujin was pleased to note that Rinoa's beloved blue duster was frayed at the bottom. None of them looked too happy, which also lifted Fujin's spirits.

"Here," Squall said before anyone could ask anything. He threw his arm out towards Irvine, casting something to him. Fujin recognized the blue glow as part of a Guardian Force's presence.

"Aw, thanks, what's all that for?" Irvine asked in a flattered tone. Squall frowned.

"You're the only one that doesn't have a GF, right? You'll need one for this mission." he answered.

"Huh," Irvine pondered it for a second. "I don't know if I agree with the whole 'memories for power' deal…" Both Squall and Zell looked extremely irritated, probably because that GF was the whole reason they were so battered up. Rinoa decided to try a different approach before Zell could start yelling.

"It'll only be for this mission." she assured him. "Then you can un-junction them."

"What about Fujin, does she have a GF?" Irvine asked. Fujin tensed. Because she hadn't taken the field test she wasn't supposed to have a GF. However, on a very boring week off, she, Raijin and Seifer had taken a trip to Timber. Because Seifer ended up meeting Rinoa there, Fujin had decided to spare herself the nausea and snuck out for some extra training. It was only by pure luck that she'd encountered and defeated Pandemona, and had decided to keep the GF for emergency use. It was the only secret she'd ever kept from Seifer and Raijin. She watched the SeeDs with her usual steely gaze, but to her relief, Squall shook his head.

"You're more essential to this mission. Just take it." Irvine's mouth tightened, but he nodded.

Fujin thought about Pandemona as Squall gave the guard the password. Would she need it tonight? She had only used the GF once previously, and that had been because she was alone in the Training Center. It was uncomfortable, to have to place so much trust in a monster. But she would need all the power she could get, especially when things got ugly later on.

Everyone followed Squall into the mansion and to a large room, where Irvine immediately made himself comfortable behind what was Caraway's desk. Everyone else took a seat in the center, save for Fujin leaning against a wall, Zell doing a few basic punches and Rinoa pacing behind the sofa.

"Always so rude…" Rinoa muttered under her breath, picking up speed.

"Why don't you sit down, Rinoa?" Selphie suggested, patting the empty space between herself and Quistis. Quistis looked a little less than pleased and squinted towards Squall, who had taken the lone recliner.

"I'm going to go get that man to come in already." Rinoa decided, standing up and storming out of the door.

"Wait, you don't think that's a little rash?" Zell asked. Fujin raised a brow at that; Zell telling someone else they were being rash, Rinoa should really be questioning her actions right about now.

"Don't worry about it, this is my house." she replied with a smile before walking out.

"The hell..?" Zell commented, and Selphie shrugged as Squall sighed.

Just seconds after Rinoa was gone, a tall, stern-looking man entered the room, his war-hardened eyes betraying nothing as they swept the room. Zell immediately stopped fidgeting and took the seat between Selphie and Quistis.

"Where's Rinoa?" Squall asked immediately. He asked it casually enough, but judging by the way his shoulders had tensed, Rinoa was already working her charm on him. _Poor fool…_

"She doesn't possess the military training or obedience that you all have, she would only be a burden on this mission." the General replied, and a corner of Fujin's lip twitched, tempting a smile.

"So, Rinoa's your daughter?" Selphie asked curiously. He snorted, a bitter smile twisting his lips.

"I can't remember the last time she called me that." he said, his eyes losing that edge for just a second.

"Father's a top-military officer and- OOF!" Quistis took that opportunity to elbow Zell, much to everyone's relief.

"There are far more important things to worry about, anyways." Caraway replied. Squall's brow knit as he opened his mouth.

"We still have a contract with Rinoa, and when we're no longer needed here, we'll continue to honor it. I don't know what your situation is, but please do not interfere when that time comes." There was more coldness in Squall's tone than usual, and Zell and Selphie openly gaped at him.

_And he was so proud of his military discipline….I thought you'd be stronger than Seifer in that aspect, Leonhart._ Fujin stared at him, mentally telling him that he had just lost what little respect she'd had for him.

"And if I do?" Caraway challenged, staring Squall down. Squall didn't break contact.

"We're all SeeDs, we'll act accordingly."

"That's another thing, I was told there were only five SeeDs reporting to this mission." Caraway replied harshly, glancing at Selphie suspiciously.

"Actually, there was some issues in Galbadia, and Fujin here ended up having to tag along." Irvine nodded towards Fujin. Caraway turned to look at her.

"Are you a qualified SeeD?" he asked, sizing her up. She shook her head.

"She's been a part of Balamb's Disciplinary Committee for almost two years now, sir." Quistis added.

"Then you won't be able to participate in the mission," Caraway announced. Fujin frowned, and though the rest looked uncomfortable at the news, no one argued. "If the rest of you would accompany me outside…" he stood aside to let everyone else go ahead. When Squall gave him a questioning look, he added: "I need to speak to my daughter, before the mission briefing." Grudgingly, the SeeDs left the room.

Fujin was starting to brainstorm ways to sneak out when she noticed that the General had made no move to locate his daughter. She folded her arms across her chest and waited for him to speak.

"If I recall correctly, you've had previous contact with Rinoa? Assigned to the same post as that boy when he courted my daughter last year." Fujin nodded, not liking the reminder of that memory.

"You had the potential to pass and become a SeeD. It was unfortunate that you were paired up with a couple of clowns." Fujin almost lost it right there, and she bit her lip. She had to see what Caraway's point was.

"I have a mission of my own to offer you. My personal guards will be busy tonight, with this assassination coming to fruition. My daughter, as you may have noticed, is very stubborn and disobedient." Fujin nodded both in agreement and as a sign for him to go on. "Later, when everyone else leaves, get Rinoa in this room. From there, I'll lock the room from the outside, and you make sure that she doesn't find a way to escape." Fujin nodded and accepted the three hundred gil that he slipped her way. "There will be more after the mission." he said before finally leaving.

Fujin made herself comfortable on the sofa, now that no one was on it. Sure, it wasn't as easy as it would have been to break off during the parade, when it was sure to be hectic, but this still could work to her advantage. She checked her magic supply and nodded to herself when she saw that she had what she needed.

AAA

She enjoyed the sofa until she heard the SeeDs coming back towards the room. Then she quickly made her way back to lean against the wall.

She watched them, just a little nervous as they went over the last of their plans. Caraway didn't so much as glance in her direction. Squall and Irvine left with the General, but Selphie had to lace up a boot, so their team waited for her.

"Man, I can't believe he didn't put me in charge," Zell muttered. Fujin could.

"Better luck next time, Zell." Quistis said. "I'm sure you'll prove yourself."

"Finally, got out of there!" Rinoa said, beaming as she ran into the room. She frowned as she looked around. "Did _that man_ say anything?"

"Uh, no, not really," Zell muttered. Selphie finished lacing her boot and straightened up.

"Where's Squall?" Rinoa asked.

"Look, Rinoa, I'm sorry, but we have to go." Quistis said coolly. So she'd caught on to Squall's protective tone, too.

"No, wait, just a second," Quistis looked like she wanted to leave anyways, but Selphie and Zell were waiting. Rinoa held up a metallic bracelet for them to see. "See, it's an Odine Bangle. I found it in _his_ room."

"So whatcha gonna do with it?" Selphie asked, eying the bracelet curiously. If Rinoa left with them, it would be even easier to sneak away. Maybe she should just go now…

"The effects are still unknown, but it's supposed to be strong enough to suppress a sorceress' power." Rinoa explained, excitement building in her voice.

"Well, it should work, if it's Odine' brand!" Zell commented, eyes lighting up. Quistis' hand balled into a fist, and Fujin decided to stick around and see what would happen.

"Right," Rinoa nodded. "If we could get it to Edea-"

"So what exactly do you want to do with it!" Quistis snapped, and Zell jumped back. Selphie's mouth pulled down in a lopsided grimace and Rinoa stood dumb with shock. "How would you even get the Sorceress to put it on? Send one of us up and hope she's dumb enough to accept it?" Rinoa composed herself enough to reply.

"That's what we're going to discuss!" Rinoa argued. Fujin stood perfectly still, sensing opportunity on the horizon.

"We don't have time for any of that, we have a _real_ mission to carry out. This isn't about whatever's going on between you and your father, this is bigger than that, do you even understand!" Quistis asked, blue eyes blazing. For once, Rinoa was speechless, and Quistis used that opportunity to get her team out of there. Rinoa fell to the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest before resting her head on them in a show of misery. Fujin waited until she heard the front doors close before making a move. She was pretty sure that Rinoa had forgotten she was there. Silently, she circled the room until she was directly behind the other girl.

"Sleep," she hissed. She heaved the unconscious Rinoa up from the ground and onto the sofa, arranging her arms on the pillows to make it look like she was stubbornly crying. Fujin herself sat on the second cushion, poised to look like a concerned friend at the first sign of Caraway.

When Caraway finally did come in, Fujin put one hand on Rinoa's back and a finger to her own lips. He took notice of Rinoa's distressed state and nodded once before walking out. Fujin heard the door beep and ran for the back door. She would have smirked, but she bumped into Quistis and almost fell right back into the room. She managed to catch herself and straighten up.

"Fujin, what are you doing?" Quistis asked. Selphie and Zell were behind her, and for a moment Fujin was confused. Why had they come back?

"GUARDING," she decided to answer them only because it was a matter of business. She jerked her thumb towards the locked room behind her.

"Rinoa's in there?" Selphie asked. "Darn…"

"Oh…I suppose I'll talk to her after the mission, then," Quistis said, although she squirmed, maybe thinking that she might not be around to talk to Rinoa after the mission. Fujin only nodded curtly in response, hoping to encourage them to return to their post. Was she really sorry for telling off Rinoa, or was she afraid of what Squall would think if he heard about it?

"Well, I guess we'll see you after the mission." Quistis said after a few seconds of awkward silence. Fujin watched them walk away and waited fifteen minutes before slinking off into the night.

End Chapter

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! Hope this was a half-decent chapter (boring as heck, though). Please R&R!**


	5. Force Your Way

Disclaimer: Alas, I still do not own FFVIII.

Chapter Four: Force Your Way

The streets of Timber were once again bustling, still slowly recovering from Garden's failed attack on the president of Galbadia. Rumors whispered through the town, passing through shops and homes in scared anticipation. None were withheld from Raijin, who was still diligently searching for any information on Seifer. So far, the fate of his dear friend was looking grim.

He was leaning against the balcony of his hotel room, staring up at the stars as if they could enlighten him. He sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. _Seifer…you can't be dead, can you? Fujin would kill you if you did something like that, ya know…_For the first time in a long time, Raijin didn't know what to do. Timber was full of dead ends; everyone said that Seifer had been executed, but no one knew where the body was. Raijin had even asked the town's mortician if he had come across it, but he hadn't. It gave Raijin a small sliver of hope.

The current gossip now was that there was a parade to be held for that bitch sorceress and her president-dog in Deling. Raijin had went in the opposite direction…there was no way he could get to Deling in time. Well, he could, but there would be no time to plan anything. It wasn't as if he could just run up and kill the president. He couldn't even watch the stupid parade, the TV station was still shut down.

But if he couldn't do anything, where was he supposed to go? Balamb came to mind first, and he realized that Fujin would have been sent back there by now. She'd been devastated, she would need him to grieve with. Then again, she had been pretty steadfast in her belief that Seifer was still alive, and if she didn't see his corpse with her own eye, she wouldn't ever count him dead. Raijin hung his head, glaring down three stories. He couldn't, no, _wouldn't_ return to Balamb until he found Seifer, dead or alive.

Raijin slowly craned his neck again and frowned at the stars, silently pleading for something to go right.

On the other side of the continent, Fujin slipped through the crowds gathered in Deling, her breath coming from her mouth in small quick puffs of mist. Her steely eye was restless, keeping watch for danger in any form, whether it was a suspicious soldier or unforgiving SeeD. She slinked away from the crowds and all of their busy excitement, towards the back of Deling's auditorium.

It was eerily quiet and bright inside, and paranoia built in Fujin's core. The hallways were empty. She slowly took a step, straining to hear anyone she might not have seen at first. The only sound that met her ears was the low hum of the air conditioner. She allowed herself a sigh of relief and continued to stalk down the hallway, keeping herself flat against the wall.

"…yes, Mr. President." Fujin tensed at the sound of approaching voices.

"And no creamer!" Deling snapped. He shook his head as the assistant scurried ahead of him. How hard was it to get a decent cup of coffee? Yes, a good cup of coffee was in order, maybe a cigar, too, if he had to deal with the Ambassador…

"Hey, what are you doin- AH!" The hairs on the back of Deling's neck stood on end at the echoes of his assistant's scream. He ran in the other direction, jerking himself back before a metallic disc could slice its way through his face. He went cross-eyed staring at the sharp weapon stuck in the wall mere centimeters from his nose.

The source of the weapon was a silver-haired woman, huffing and staring at him with a hatred not at all unfamiliar to him. Not wasting any more time staring at her, he pulled what appeared to be a detonator out of his pocket and pressed the button. Alarms screeched through the night, red lights flashing off and on in the hallway. She stood her ground, shaking with the sheer intensity of her anger and hatred.

"RAGE!" she snarled, and, wasting no more time, ran at him. He managed to put a small amount of distance between them as she yanked her weapon from the wall, and threw it one more time. It sliced him in the arm before gliding back to her. She snatched it up and ran at him as the hallways rumbled with heavy footsteps.

A swarm of soldiers came running in from all sides, and Deling smirked as they ran past him, their weapons raised and ready for Fujin. Feeling more terrified than she ever had, Fujin roared and charged, silently vowing to die only after Deling.

She pushed through countless soldiers, knowing she was getting stabbed but not registering any of the pain. She watched with morbid fascination as body after body hit the floor, as blood spilled from all sides, and as, slowly, she was managing to force a crimson path to Deling.

Her situation seemed so much less hopeless. Her heartbeat excelled as fast as it could possibly go, adrenaline screaming in her head as she twisted and sliced, blocked and thrust her weapon into soldier after soldier. She was quick and skilled, but she was also heavily outnumbered and attacked from all sides, and soon she was overwhelmed. She struggled, thrashing against a guard that restrained her. Something pressed against her forehead, and the cool metal feel of it told her it was a gun. Deling looked down at her, clutching the freely bleeding wound she'd bestowed on him. Fujin sneered up at him, daring him to give the order. While she'd been fighting, a nervous sweat had broken out on his forehead, and his skin gleamed in the harsh lighting. Though the man was obviously still shaken the smirk had resurfaced as he looked to Fujin's captors.

_I failed... _Fujin gently closed her eye. She hoped she could spend her afterlife in the same way she'd spent her most recent years; going wherever Seifer was going.

"And what have we here?" A cold voice drawled. A chill went up Fujin's spine, and she couldn't help but peek up at the new voice. A woman dressed in a tight purple floor-length dress stared down at her with a strange mixture of curiosity and condescension. It was The Sorceress, Fujin realized.

"Well, um, Ambassador," Deling immediately lost any composure he thought he had. "I think it's another SeeD."

"SeeD…" she whispered in a deadly soft tone. Her yellow eyes narrowed. "Contain her," she ordered, and Fujin was forced to straighten up as the guards hauled her away.

"But…wouldn't you rather have her executed?" the President asked uncertainly. Fujin didn't hear the sorceress' response.

_Why wouldn't she?_ Fujin wondered. One of the guards turned her and slapped a pair of handcuffs on her before marching her away. They opened a door at the end of the hall and the guards shoved her into it, allowing her to stumble into a messy pile of cleaning supplies. The door shut behind them, and Fujin was left in complete darkness.

They had locked her in a closet. It was cramped and smelled heavily of Clorox. She glanced down at the strip of light that flooded in through the bottom of the door, seeing only one shadow filter through. After all of that damage, only one soldier was guarding her? She winced, the full extent of her injuries finally registering on her tired body. A few good cuts and bruises, but only the one in her side felt like something she should concern herself with.

She'd been stupid. Stupid, and reckless, and crazy…How had she thought this would save Seifer? If anything, her actions had shamed his memory. She hadn't been killed yet, but she was sure she was only being kept alive for information on SeeD. When they found out that she wasn't a SeeD, it would all be over for her.

She sighed and gingerly slid down the wall. She supposed that her only regret was that she didn't get to say goodbye to Raijin. She glared and bit her lip. He was the one who'd abandoned her, it would be his burden to bear. No, he was posse…yes, he'd split them up even further…no, he might be the only one left, after tonight…

Fujin didn't want to sit alone with her confusion and misery, but she didn't have Raijin to kick or Seifer to obey. Her mind tumbled from hating Raijin to missing Seifer to despising herself to wanting Raijin to missing Seifer all over again.

She let her head thud against the wall.

At that same moment, Squall fell from the top of Deling Tower, a bloody spike of ice sticking out of his shoulder.

AAA

"Move it, girly." Fujin squinted against the bright light that flooded her vision. She blinked a few times in disorientation, trying to figure out where she was.

A Galbadian soldier held his gun tensely as he leered down at her. She slowly got up, telling herself the pain in her side was just a stitch as she pushed her back against the wall. Finally growing impatient with her sluggishness, the soldier lowered his gun and grabbed her arm, jerking her forward. She staggered down the hall and was forced out of the building.

The city was in a panic, swarms of people crowding to get out of the central square. Fujin watched as the guards tried to restore order, tried to catch bits and pieces of the hushed voices and frantic sobs.

She was just beginning to wonder if the SeeDs' mission had been a success when a black van came into her line of vision. The guard shoved her in and her knees banged against the cold metal.

"And don't even think about trying anything funny, this van's magic proofed!" he barked.

"We heard you the first time!" someone snapped just as the doors slammed close. Fujin took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. After a few minutes she was able to lean against the wall, and, breathing heavily, looked around. Three shadows were cramped next to her.

"…Fujin?" Fujin squinted and recognized the silhouette of Selphie's unique hairstyle in the darkness.

"Affirmative." she replied. She was too tired to yell, too tired to be stubborn.

"But how did you get caught?" Zell asked. The van lurched forward, and for a few seconds the only noise that could be heard was the roar of the engine.

"I think a better question is, what were you doing before you got caught?" Quistis asked, sounding like the teacher she used to be.

Fujin closed her eye and leaned stretched her leg as far as it could go without hitting Zell, hoping they'd take the hint and leave her alone. Zell grumbled and Quistis didn't pursue it.

"What's that on the floor?" Selphie asked, squirming next to Fujin. "It's all slimy…Fujin, are you bleeding!" she gasped. Fujin sighed. She'd been trying not to think of all of the varying levels of pain that plagued her body. She only nodded and hoped that Selphie would shut up.

Quistis began shifting, Fujin could see her crouching in her corner. Her shadow thumped and skidded at times, but after a few minutes of careful observation, Fujin could see what Quistis was doing; the older girl was trying to bring her handcuffed hands in front of her by stepping through her looped arms.

After a long struggle, the blonde managed to get her hands in front of her, and she fidgeted. Fujin guessed that she was reaching for something at her side.

"And people wonder why I wear pants under a skirt," Quistis mused, and there was almost laughter in her tired voice. "It's a great place to stash extra items, keep that in mind, Selphie." Quistis struggled for a few seconds to uncork a bottle, and once she had it open, she scooted her way over to Fujin, holding (with both hands) a potion.

"Drink it," she commanded, pressing it to Fujin's lips. Fujin nodded and together they managed to get the potion down her throat without spilling much. Fujin sighed softly as her more serious wounds healed up. Quistis made her way back to her spot and tucked the evidence back into her pocket.

"Now to get my hands back behind my back…" she mumbled as she began to shift around again.

For a few minutes, Fujin struggled with herself. She didn't know why, but a part of her longed to tell Quistis and her teammates what she'd been doing before she'd gotten caught. She almost felt like she _owed_ it to them, and the feeling irritated her. In the end she decided to bite her lip; Quistis had only given her the potion in hopes that Fujin would give her some information in return. Fujin wasn't going to fall for it.

"…Damn it." Zell hissed, his leg bumping Fujin's as he fidgeted.

"What's the matter, Zell?" Selphie asked, somehow still managing to sound upbeat.

"This…this isn't the end, is it?" he asked, his voice shaking with nerves. "I didn't want it to end like this, not so soon…"

"Zell," Selphie started, unsure.

"Calm down," Quistis said with gentle authority. "If they were going to kill us, they would have done it back there."

"Yeah," Selphie nodded in agreement. "I'm sure the Headmaster will sort it out, and we'll all be busted out by tomorrow."

"Yeah…yeah, you guys are right." he laughed uneasily. "Sorry 'bout that." Fujin remained silent. They all knew nothing good was waiting for them, that most likely they'd be tortured for information, rot in prison, or maybe face execution for their actions. Fujin herself had already spent a good deal of the night dwelling on those facts, and she didn't want to think of them anymore.

"Did any of you see what happened to Squall?" Quistis asked. It sounded like she had tried to make her voice sound steady, like she had been mentally preparing herself before daring to ask.

"No…he was up with that Irvine guy." Zell muttered.

"Think they're okay?" Selphie whispered.

"I don't know." Quistis quietly replied. The sound of the van's engine seemed unbearably loud.

Fujin didn't know if she fell asleep or simply stopped paying attention to her surroundings, but much later the van's doors were flung open, and dawn's first light flooded the back of the van, revealing four tired, injured teens. A small group of guards stood against the orange sky.

"Let's move!" the guard in front ordered, and they were quickly ushered out.

Fujin stared in silent anxiety at the cold building that rose from the desert sand.

End Chapter

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates! I'm working on the next chapter right now, hopefully it'll be updated soon. **


	6. Find Your Way

Disclaimer: Do not own Final Fantasy VIII.

Chapter Five: Find Your Way

Rinoa had woken up in her childhood room, a soft ray of sunlight on her face serving as her alarm clock. The moment her eyes snapped open she shot up in bed, wondering how she came to wake up in the house she so despised. Frowning, she tried to recall everything that had happened the night before. She'd been upset after Quistis' heated attack on her plan, and had been crying, not even caring that Fujin was in the room…

_Fujin!_ She remembered, a crease forming between her eyebrows. She couldn't believe it. Sure, she and Fujin had never exactly hit it off but Rinoa didn't think Fujin disliked her that much! She punched the Queen-sized bed and got up angrily so she could storm her way out of Caraway's mansion.

Though she kept her eyes peeled for him, she didn't run into her father on the way out, which she thought he should be grateful for; she knew that he was the cause for her imprisonment, and she didn't have any kind words for him. She stalked along the streets of Deling, wondering where she could find her SeeDs.

It was cold outside, almost cold enough for Rinoa to turn right back around and grab one of her old jackets, but her stubborn pride wouldn't allow her to step foot in that house. Not again. Not ever again. A gust of chilly wind blew at her from behind, as if testing and she spit out a strand of hair that was blown in her mouth.

All right, she'd get the jacket, _then_ never again step foot in Caraway's Mansion.

The streets were a lot less crowded than usual, and Rinoa noticed that many of Deling's shops were closed. All talk –if any at all- was done in whispers, and an unsettling feeling dropped in the pit of her stomach. What had happened last night while she slept?

She stopped by one of the few cafes still open, and a mounted newspaper by the cash register confirmed her worst fears: the SeeDs had been arrested for an attempted assassination on the Sorceress. Frowning, she purchased the newspaper along with a bagel and sat at a table for two next to a window, scanning the article for any important information.

_Five mercenaries taken hostage. Of course they wouldn't list names, that would be too helpful…_she thought, pursing her lips.Not knowing that Fujin was with them, Rinoa thought Irvine had been arrested, too, and jumped when she heard his voice not too far behind her.

"Thank you, ma'am, hope to see you at lunch?" Rinoa turned in time to see the cowboy flirting with the cashier, who was giggling as she handed him a breakfast tray.

"Irvine?" Rinoa called to get his attention. The cashier looked less than pleased, but Irvine grinned and nodded to her as he made his way to her table.

"Hey, Rachel." he greeted confidently, taking the seat across from her.

"It's Rinoa," she corrected him in a flat tone. "And just how did you escape?" she asked, pushing the newspaper closer to him.

"Keep your voice down, will ya?" Irvine replied, lowering his hat and glancing at his surroundings. "Are you tryin' to get me locked up?" Rinoa paid no heed to his concerns. There was a chance that Irvine might have gotten out of trouble honorably, but he'd looked so sleazy, flirting with a cashier while his cohorts were at the mercy of Galbadia's militia. Didn't he have any shame?

"Answer the question." she demanded, glaring at Irvine as she chomped on her bagel. Irvine sighed.

"Look, I happen to have some…connections, if you know what I'm sayin'." Irvine said, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but next to Rinoa. Though her natural curiosity piqued at this bit of news she only nodded.

"So what happened to everyone else?"

"Well, you read it in the paper, didn't you?" Irvine asked, relieved enough to start cutting his eggs.

"And…Fujin?" Rinoa asked. "How did she get caught? What was she doing?"

"Now that part, I don't know." Irvine replied with a shrug. "She was supposed to stay at your place, not being a qualified SeeD and all that." He chewed thoughtfully for a second before adding: "The only thing that I can think of is that she might have gotten some bad ideas thinking about Seifer. Might have followed Quistis and the others out."

Rinoa nodded, trying to piece together her next course of action. She couldn't just let Squall and the others rot, she'd paid good money to hire them and…the thought of Squall helpless and dying would haunt her forever if she did nothing, she was sure of it.

Irvine, on the other hand, was regretting his decision to sit across from the raven-haired girl. He could tell by the look on her face that she was plotting something, and he wanted no part of it. He felt bad for the SeeDs facing the fate he'd gotten out of, but there was nothing he could do to help them. That was for their Headmaster to deal with.

He almost cringed when Rinoa's eyes locked with his. "So, where exactly is D-District Prison?"

AAA

"This really sucks," Zell muttered, his restless feet causing loud echoes off of the cold iron floor. Quistis and Selphie were sitting with their backs against the wall, watching him try to walk off his anxiety.

"Where do you think they took Fujin?" Selphie asked quietly. Zell shook his head and kept pacing. Quistis sighed.

"They probably wanted to interrogate her first, for whatever she did back in Deling," Quistis replied wearily. She still didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that Fujin hadn't told them what she'd done. Fujin's actions could be counted as an individual act, just like Seifer's had been in Timber. However, she didn't know what story Fujin would tell the guards, and didn't like thinking about what would happen if their stories didn't match up. _Well, they're probably going to kill us anyway, if we don't find a way out of here._

"And…Squall?" Selphie added, eyes downcast. No one spoke, and Zell even stopped pacing.

"We have to accept the possibility that he might be dead," Quistis said after a few minutes, careful not to let a touch of emotion coat her words. Zell slid down the wall until he was sitting between the girls, and he grimaced at Quistis' words.

"We don't have to think about that just yet, if they kept us alive, they probably kept him alive, too." he replied. "Who knows, he might have escaped for all we know." he added with an attempt at optimism. Selphie gave him a small smile and nodded, placing her hand over his and giving it a small squeeze.

_I hope Fujin's ok._ She let out a small sigh and stared at the ceiling. They'd get out of this, some way, somehow.

AAA

Fujin herself had been led through a number of hallways that gradually got less drab as they ascended. There was air conditioning up there, and the floors were clean and carpeted. At the end of most hallways there was a painting, and it generally looked proper and more pleasant, not like a prison at all. Though she was scared she kept her chin up, not letting any fear show itself on her face or in her posture.

"You're lucky the Knight wanted to speak with you, girlie," a guard growled in Fujin's ear as he and shoved her through a door. To his dismay, she didn't fall to the floor, but kept her footing, her feet automatically planted in a defensive stance. She glared at him, and he sneered before shutting the door and locking it on his way out. Once she was sure he was gone, she took a good look around the room. It looked like a small living room, with a small, fat couch and coffee table sitting in the middle of it. There was a recliner perpendicular to the couch, and a counter with a coffee pot set up in back.

A Knight wanted to speak with her. It could only be the sorceress' Knight. And if he wanted to talk with Fujin, it wouldn't end well. She remembered that Knights were said to pledge fealty to their sorceress, and though they weren't forced to uphold it, history had not yet seen a Knight who defied his sorceress. She took a deep breath. If he wanted her dead, she doubted that he'd kill her in a lounge room. But what would he want?

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when the doorknob fumbled. Her heartbeat raced in her throat, and when she tried to swallow she found her mouth suddenly dry. She heard whoever was on the other side work the key in the lock, and a few seconds later, the door was opened. She was speechless at the sight that greeted her.

Seifer stood in the doorframe, grabbing the key from the lock and closing it behind him. For a split second, Fujin thought that he had somehow made it out of Timber alive, escaped from his cell and had come to rescue her. But then he smiled at her, and she knew that that wasn't the case.

In stories people always said that they could tell something was off about someone by the look in their eyes. But it wasn't just his eyes. It was him. _He_ was wrong, there was no other way to explain it. She was frozen to the spot, staring at this Seifer who was not Seifer. He laughed at the look on her face.

"Crap, Fuu, that's no way to greet a friend." he took a step toward her and she jumped, but he held up a small key, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'relax'. His voice, his tone, all the same as the Seifer he remembered, yet entirely different, somehow. He walked behind her and fitted the key in the lock, releasing her from the handcuffs and circling to face her again.

She rubbed her sore wrists and looked up at him warily. What happened to him? "…How?" she asked weakly. Seifer laughed.

"I'm looking pretty good, huh? All thanks to The Sorceress, of course," Seifer said, spreading his arms wide and grinning. Seeing the confusion on Fujin's face, he continued. "The Sorceress, she took care of me, offered me a position I couldn't refuse," his eyes twinkled fondly with the memory. "Fujin, she made my dreams come true. You're lookin' at The Sorceress' Knight." he said proudly, his chest swelling with pride.

Fujin was speechless. Had he seriously forgotten that his main reason for rushing down to Timber was to save Rinoa? Where was his honor? His pride? She felt a little sick.

"…SeeD? Rinoa?" she asked, and his smile vanished.

"They oppose The Sorceress. They're enemies, a threat to society." Seifer snarled in disgust.

"Balamb-"

"They don't matter, Fuu. I'm alive, and you're safe now." he said, some of his old warmth returning to his voice. He took a step toward her, and she took a step back. "Join me, Fujin. Fight by my side." he insisted. She kept backing away from him, shaking her head and trying to maneuver away from him. Her back hit the wall. Terrified, she looked up at him.

"Come on, Fujin. We're a posse, remember? Don't you have my back?" he asked, his face starting to harden.

"Seifer…" How was she supposed to answer that question? She would fight for Seifer, she would always have his back. But she couldn't fight for The Sorceress, that was insane.

"Well?" he barked, just inches away from her.

"CAN'T!" she yelled, and before she could even try to block it Seifer's fist slammed into her cheek. She bounced against the wall and her knees buckled, but she managed to catch herself before she could hit the floor. Breath rattling in her chest she shook, staring down at the red carpet as her vision blurred and swayed. She stayed like that, looking and feeling like a cowed animal on her hands and knees, head bent low to avoid looking at her assailant.

Seifer stared down at her, breathing heavily.

An ugly, tense silence killed any apologies or bad decisions that might have been made. The world seemed to pass in a slow, pained blur, but somewhere between slamming doors and being harshly pushed around, Fujin found herself literally thrown into a jail cell.

She didn't know what to do or what she wanted to do. Her mind was completely blank; she couldn't feel or think. It felt like she was falling into herself, her pain, her misery, everything that didn't make any sense and everything that shouldn't be the way it was.

"…Fujin?"

Ironically, it was the sound of Zell's voice that grounded her. She carefully picked herself up and looked toward the sound of his voice. Zell, Selphie and Quistis stared back at her, their expressions ranging from pure shock to quiet horror.

"Fujin, what happened to you?" the way Quistis asked, it sounded more like a demand to answer than a question. She shook her head and brought her knees up to her chest, curling into a ball and trying to pretend that they weren't there.

It didn't work very well. Zell walked over, and, forgetting any of his past judgments he held against Fujin, kneeled next to her. He squinted at her face.

"Who hit you?" he asked. She tried to ignore both Zell and the sharp pain swelling the left side of her face, but neither proved easy to ignore.

At that point, it would have been very easy for Fujin to reply with: "Guard", and Zell would probably accept that answer and leave her alone. They were probably going to die in there, anyway. They could die thinking that they were joining Seifer.

But if they lived…they'd find out sooner or later. She looked up at them. They were all just kids, just as scared as she was.

"Seifer." she replied.

AAA

Seifer stormed down the stairs, only fury processing correctly in his distorted mind. The room he entered was much darker than the room he'd come from, and he appeared and disappeared from sight in the rare beams of light that flickered down in the basement level.

A slow, pained breathing reached his ears before he could see Squall, but seconds later the young SeeD became visible, crucified against the wall. Seifer shoved a greasy little man away from a simple control system and pulled down on the lever. The entire room lit up with the blinding bolts of electricity that sparked along Squall's body. Squall screamed, screamed as if his voice could drown out the pain and the horror of what was happening. Seifer shut off the electricity, and Squall slumped from where he hung, shaking in cold sweat.

"I'm in a bad fucking mood, Leonhart," Seifer snarled. "So let's skip the games and get straight to the part where you break and tell me everything."

End Chapter

**A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner (think I mentioned something about a quick update) this chapter proved to be a lot trickier to write than I thought it would. Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope it was at least interesting.**


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